The present invention relates generally to gaming machines and, more particularly, to a gaming machine having player selected events.
Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning on each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operators. Traditional gaming machines use mechanical slot reels or video depictions of such reels to display games and outcomes to players. Further, many traditional gaming machines use simulations of standard casino games such as cards, dice, bingo and the like to attract players. These traditional machines may become repetitive over time, and it is believed that more innovative displays and gameplay features will find success by offering players an interesting and exciting alternative to traditional games. Accordingly, in the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to produce new types of games, or enhancements to existing games, which will attract frequent play by enhancing the entertainment value and excitement associated with the game. In particular, there is a need for engaging and entertaining games that can hold a player""s interest more than existing games. The present invention is directed to satisfying this need.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine comprising a presentation medium presenting a multi-stage game including a plurality of stages and a plurality of player-selectable options, each of the stages including an action executed on the presentation medium in response to selection of at least one of the options by a player. The action in at least one of said stages results in a payoff if the action matches predetermined criteria. The game is other than slots, cards, roulette, dice, dominoes, bingo, or keno, and in a preferred embodiment the game is a simulation of a sporting event.